Lee Dae-yong
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Lee Dae-yong (Korean: 이대용; Hanja: 李大鎔; 20 November 1925 – 14 November 2017) was a South Korean army officer and diplomat.
Early life
[edit]Lee was born in North Hwanghae Province on 20 November 1925.
Military career
[edit]During the Korean War, he served as an officer in the 6th Infantry Division, Republic of Korea Army.
He served as a commander of the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment in the Battle of Chuncheon.[1]
Diplomat career
[edit]In 1963, Lee was appointed as a military attaché to the South Korean embassy in South Vietnam. In 1973, he was appointed as a minister in the South Korean embassy in South Vietnam (Originally, he belonged to the Korean Central Intelligence Agency)[2]
During the Fall of Saigon, South Korean diplomats attempted to flee South Vietnam as part of Operation Frequent Wind. Lee and two South Korean diplomats (Ahn Hee-wan and Seo Byeong-ho) failed to escape.[3] They were arrested by the People's Army of Vietnam and held for questioning in Chí Hòa Prison in October 1975.[4]
The North Korean government tried to take the prisoners, but the South Korean government negotiated with North Korea for their return to South Korea.[5]
Following the Sino-Vietnamese War, North Korea supported China. This has soured relations between Vietnam and North Korea.
At that time, the Israeli businessman Shaul Eisenberg worked as a secret envoy for South Korea.[6][7]
On 12 April 1980, Vietnamese government released Lee and the two other diplomats to South Korea.[3]
After return
[edit]In 2001, Lee met Vietnam's ambassador to South Korea 'Dương Chính Thức', who was the official responsible for his arrest in 1975.[8]
Awards and decorations
[edit]Legacy
[edit]In 1986, his story was turned into a drama (ko:사이공 억류기) on MBC.